Digital video forms an integral part of modern life. Private digital video devices allow us to record our life experiences for later review and enjoyment. Professional digital video, in the form of movies and television, allows us to see life through the eyes of others, and to benefit from their wisdom and their follies. As social creatures, we often wish to share these experiences with others, and we relish the opportunity to invite others into our homes for viewing sessions.
Digital media may be downloaded for viewing using a video player, or viewed on web sites such as YouTube using a web browser that supports streaming media. Digital media also may be recorded using video devices ranging from smartphones, to professional and amateur video cameras, to webcams on personal computers. There are many different and incompatible methods and locations for storing this media. As a result, there are many different and incompatible methods for later viewing: on a phone display, on a television screen, on a computer display (using one of several incompatible viewers). As a result, people who wish to later view this digital video must learn many different display and control interfaces, and educate themselves as to the intricacies of the different media formats. It would be simpler to view all digital media using a single video device, as the viewer would only have to learn how to use that single device.
It is known in the art to share video between computers and televisions, although methods for doing so are cumbersome or expensive. Some computers, including laptops, have video outputs that may be connected directly to a television video input using special cables. Setting up such systems is often difficult, as the process entails several steps of varying technical skill: analyzing the computer and the television to determine which kind of cable or cables are required; connecting the components properly; directing the computer to transmit video to the television, often through a non-intuitive sequence or combination of keystrokes or by running a custom application; tuning the television to the appropriate channel; adjusting the video resolution, size and position of the viewable area, brightness and color balance, and so on. Many of these steps are beyond the capabilities of the average person, and even if they are performed correctly, the video quality is often poor, and control of the television display must be performed awkwardly from the computer. Furthermore, for cable television subscribers, this arrangement often bypasses a cable set top box that controls ordinary cable television reception. Thus, a subscriber must learn how to change back and forth between ordinary cable television and the direct connection to the computer having the digital video.
One solution to this problem has been the use of an intermediate computer that interfaces to both the personal computer and the television. Commercial embodiments of this solution include the Apple TV® digital media extender from Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. However, this solution requires the user to purchase an additional computer and learn how to configure it, which some individuals may be unwilling or unable to do. Also, this solution requires the user to set up a wireless local network on the premises to allow the intermediate computer to connect to the personal computer, which a non-skilled person may find difficult. A different solution, in which the television itself has wireless networking and the personal computer connections with the television wirelessly, suffers from the same problem. Yet another solution is to convert the personal computer into a cable set top box, or “media center,” using purchased or downloaded software. An advantage of using this approach is that other, more general applications found on the computer may be used on the television, such as web browsers, email clients and so on. Examples of this solution are the MythTV home entertainment application developed by Mr. Isaac Richards, and the Boxee system, from Boxee, Inc. However, these solutions do not solve the problem of avoiding complex and unfamiliar user interfaces, as they typically have custom menus and require the use of a keyboard and mouse to control the web browser, email client, and other added features that appear on the television. These solutions may also require the user to set up a wireless local area network, although some do permit direct cable connections from a set top box to the personal computer (with the aforementioned disadvantages).